JP5496242B2 - Driving assistance device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a driving support device .

  In recent years, from the viewpoint of preventing accidents when driving a vehicle, a driving support device that detects obstacles such as people and bicycles located around the vehicle by using a radar or an image of a captured camera and warns the driver. The number of vehicles on board is increasing. At this time, there are those that not only specify the presence or absence of an obstacle and its position, but also generate a warning by predicting the subsequent movement of the vehicle and the movement of the obstacle from the current situation.

  For example, in Patent Document 1 below, a driver is estimated by estimating a trajectory in which a vehicle and an obstacle move based on a plurality of pieces of information specifying current conditions such as map data and the current position of the vehicle, vehicle speed, and traveling direction. Describes a driving assistance device characterized by warning.

JP 2006-309445 A

  However, in the driving assistance apparatus described in Patent Document 1 described above, a situation is considered in which an obstacle that has deviated from the detection area of the camera again approaches the vicinity of the host vehicle when turning left or right at an intersection or entering a store. Then, the detection of the obstacle is immediately before turning right or left, and the warning timing to the driver of the host vehicle is delayed, which may cause a collision risk.

  In order to suppress this, it is necessary to monitor the surroundings with a plurality of sensors, such as installing a sensor such as a camera not only in the front, but also in the side or the rear side, resulting in an expensive configuration. As described in the embodiment of Patent Document 1, since two cameras are used for obstacle detection, there is a concern that the cost of the apparatus becomes high. In particular, when an infrared camera is used, the cost is generally unavoidable as compared with a radio wave radar such as a millimeter wave radar or a CCD camera.

  Further, when it is determined that the estimated own vehicle and the movement trajectory of the obstacle cross each other, the speed range determination table and the speed coefficient table stored in advance are referred to in order to calculate the arrival time at the collision point between the two. By using two cameras for obstacle detection, the configuration of the apparatus (data processing method) becomes complicated, the processing time becomes longer, and the processing load on the CPU also increases.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and has a simpler configuration and a lower cost in consideration of a collision with an own vehicle with an object outside the detection area of the sensor. The purpose is to provide.

The present invention includes an object detection unit that detects an object ahead of the host vehicle, a vehicle state detection unit that detects at least the vehicle speed of the host vehicle, a collision determination unit that determines a risk of collision of the host vehicle with the object, and the collision A warning means for giving a warning based on a determination result of the determination means, and the object detection means based on the position and speed of the object when present in the detection region of the object detection means. A detection area outside object estimation unit that continuously estimates a position of the detection area outside object existing outside the detection area for a predetermined period, and the vehicle is estimated by the collision determination unit by the detection area outside object estimation unit. The degree of risk of collision with an object outside the detection area is determined, the warning means warns that the vehicle may collide with the object outside the detection area, and further, the object detection means detects Among the object, the relative speed is - provided with a (vehicle speed) <relative speed <0, and the detection area outside the object candidate extraction means for the horizontal angle is extracted as the detection region outside object candidate objects is not less than a predetermined value, the detection area The external object estimation means continues to estimate the position of the detection area outside object based on the position and speed of the detection area outside object candidate, and is further determined as the detection area outside object candidate by the detection area outside object candidate extraction means. The detection area outside object candidate storage means for storing the position and speed of the object at the time of extraction for a predetermined time, and the time extracted as the detection area outside object candidate by the detection area outside object candidate extraction means as the initial time A time measuring means for measuring time for a predetermined time, and the detection area outside object estimation means stores the detection area outside object candidate stored in the detection area outside object candidate storage means when the detection area outside object candidate is extracted. location and Continuing to estimate the position of the object outside the detection area based on the speed and the corresponding extracted time from the initial time measured by the time measuring means as the object outside the detection area moving at a constant linear velocity. There is a driving support device characterized by the above.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a driving support device and the like that have a simpler configuration and a lower cost in consideration of a collision with an own vehicle with an object outside the detection region of the sensor.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the driving assistance apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the extraction conditions of the detection area outside object candidate which the detection area outside object candidate extraction part which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention extracts. It is a figure for demonstrating the estimation method of the detection area outside object which the detection area outside object estimation part which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention estimates. It is the figure which showed an example of the collision risk determination table which the collision determination part which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention uses for determination of a collision risk. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the driving assistance apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the driving assistance device which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the determination method for the detection area outside object determination part which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention to determine an object outside a detection area. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the driving assistance apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention.

  In this invention, based on information such as the position of an object detected in the detection area of the sensor, information such as the position of an object outside the sensor detection area, such as an overtaken object, is continuously estimated for a predetermined period. A driving support device that determines a risk of collision with the object estimated by the vehicle and warns the driver of the host vehicle is realized with a simple configuration and at a low cost.

  According to the driving support device of the present invention, based on the information on the position of the object detected in the detection region of the sensor, the information on the position of the object outside the detection region of the sensor, such as the overtaking object, By continuing the estimation, the collision determination is also made on the object outside the detection area, and the collision warning is given to the driver of the host vehicle. A single sensor (on-vehicle radar) also issues a collision warning for objects outside the detection area. Compared to a conventional driving support device, the configuration of the device is simple and low cost.

  Further, the processing load of the CPU is reduced by performing position estimation processing on an object outside the detection area based on information on the object existing in a certain area of the sensor detection area. Further, the cost can be reduced by reducing the memory.

  In addition, the stationary object is excluded from the object of the estimation process of the position of the object outside the detection area (excluding the stationary object is extracted), thereby reducing the processing load on the CPU. Further, the cost can be reduced by reducing the memory.

  In addition, the position of the object outside the detection area can be accurately estimated by performing the position estimation process on the object estimated to be out of the detection area from the detection area of the sensor. And since the estimation process of the position of the object outside the detection area is started outside the detection area of the sensor, the number of targets to be estimated and the estimation process time are reduced, and the processing load of the CPU is reduced. Further, the cost can be reduced by reducing the memory.

  When the collision determination unit detects blinker lighting, it determines the risk of collision between the host vehicle and an object outside the detection area, and warns the driver of the host vehicle when changing lanes or at intersections. Warnings are made at necessary timing in consideration of the current situation when turning right or left.

  The collision determination unit determines the risk of collision between the host vehicle and an object outside the detection area when the steering angle is equal to or greater than the steering angle threshold, and warns the driver of the host vehicle. Warnings are made when necessary, taking into account the current situation, such as when changing or turning right or left at an intersection.

  Hereinafter, a driving support device and the like according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings according to each embodiment. In each embodiment, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the driving support apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the driving support apparatus 101 is roughly composed of a millimeter wave radar 103, a vehicle speed sensor 104, a steering angle sensor 105, and a speaker 106.

  The vehicle speed sensor 104 detects the rotational speed of the wheels of the host vehicle. The detected rotational speed is output to the millimeter wave radar 103, and the CPU 109 calculates the vehicle speed of the host vehicle.

  The steering angle sensor 105 detects the amount of rotation of the steering column shaft of the host vehicle. The detected amount of rotation is output to the millimeter wave radar 103, and the CPU 109 calculates the steering angle of the host vehicle.

  In the following, for the sake of simplicity, it is assumed that the vehicle speed sensor 104 detects the vehicle speed, and the steering angle sensor 105 detects the steering angle.

  As will be described later, the speaker 106 warns the driver or the like with a warning sound of the possibility of collision with the object 102.

  The millimeter wave radar 103 transmits / receives radio waves to the (front) object 102, receives a radio wave reflected from the object 102, a conversion unit 108 that converts the received radio wave into a reception signal, and a conversion unit CPU 109 that detects the forward object 102 based on the signal from 108 and controls each component of the millimeter wave radar 103, data calculated by the CPU 109, each component of the millimeter wave radar 103, and the speaker 106 The storage unit 110 stores various programs necessary for control.

  The CPU 109 includes an object detection unit 111, a detection area outside object candidate extraction unit 112, a time measurement unit 113, a detection area outside object estimation unit 114, and a collision determination unit 115, which are obtained from the vehicle speed sensor 104 and the steering angle sensor 105. Based on the information, warning of contact between the host vehicle and the object 102 is performed by controlling the speaker 106.

  In addition, the object detection unit 111 performs signal processing on the reception signal input from the conversion unit 108, and detects the distance, relative speed, and angle of an object existing within a predetermined range ahead. These polar coordinate system information is converted into orthogonal coordinate system information and output to the storage unit 110 under the control of the CPU 109. The storage unit 110 stores them in a predetermined storage area under the control of the CPU 109.

  Here, the storage unit 110 stores at least an area for storing distance, relative speed, and angle, which are polar coordinate data of the object detected by the object detection unit 111, and the vehicle and the vehicle speed sensor 104 detected by the vehicle speed sensor 104. An area for storing the position and speed, which are data in the Cartesian coordinate system calculated based on the vehicle speed, is provided as follows.

Polar coordinate system Data storage area S01 of the object detected by the object detection unit 111
Cartesian coordinate system Data storage area S10 of the object detected by the object detection unit 111
A storage area S11 for data of candidate objects outside the detection area extracted by the detection object candidate outside the detection area 112
A storage area S12 for data of an object outside the detection area estimated by the detection object outside detection area 114

  In addition, since the known FM-CW system etc. are utilized about the detection method of the distance and relative velocity in this millimeter wave radar, detailed description is omitted. As for the angle detection method, a known phase monopulse method or the like is used, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  The detection area outside object candidate extraction unit 112 extracts an object that satisfies a predetermined condition from the objects detected by the object detection unit 111 as a detection area outside object candidate. Here, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the extraction condition of the object outside the detection area. As shown in the figure, the area within the dotted line is the detection area 201 of the millimeter wave radar 103, and the solid line is the angle threshold value for extracting the detected object as a candidate outside the detection area (for example, 0 based on the front direction in front of the host vehicle). The object extraction boundary 202 is 360 ° by right rotation as an angle or an angle defining a horizontal angle region of 180 ° to −180 °, where the right of 0 ° of the reference is + and the left is −. The mark (points to both white and black) indicates the object 203 detected by the millimeter wave radar 103, and the circle (black) indicates the object 204 extracted as a detection area outside object candidate by the detection area outside object candidate extraction unit 112. Show.

  Out-of-detection-area object candidate extraction unit 112 exists outside object extraction boundary 202 among objects 203 detected by object detection unit 111 (the angle is larger than the angle threshold), and the relative speed is negative. The object is extracted as a candidate outside the detection area. Then, the position and speed of the object are stored in the storage unit 110 as initial values. Regarding the angle threshold, for example, when the detection area is 30 [deg], the detection area is set to −10% = 27 [deg] and is stored in the storage unit 110.

  The detection area outside object candidate extraction unit 112 may add (−own vehicle speed) <relative speed <0 to the condition in addition to the above condition. It goes without saying that by changing the conditions in this manner, it is possible to extract objects other than the stationary object from the detection object candidates outside the detection area, thereby reducing the memory and the signal processing load.

  Next, the time measurement unit 113 performs time measurement for a predetermined period using the time extracted as the detection region outside object candidate by the detection region outside object candidate extraction unit 112 as an initial time. As will be described later, the time measurement unit 113 ends the time measurement after the collision determination unit 115 determines the risk of collision between the host vehicle and the object outside the detection area and gives a warning. If no warning is given, the time measurement ends when a predetermined time has elapsed.

  The detection area outside object estimation unit 114 measures the position and speed of the object extracted as the detection area outside object candidate stored in the storage unit 110, the time measured by the time measurement unit 113, and the vehicle speed sensor 104. Based on the measured vehicle speed, the position of the object outside the detection area is also estimated after the object is out of the detection area, that is, the position of the object outside the detection area. Here, FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a method for estimating an object outside the detection area.

The detection area outside object estimation unit 114 assumes that the object 301 extracted as the detection area outside object candidate at the sampling time T = 0 by the detection area outside object candidate extraction unit 112 thereafter performs a constant velocity linear motion, and performs sampling. The position (XN [m], YN [m]) of the object at time T = N (N ≧ 1)
Position at sampling time T = 0 (X0 [m], Y0 [m]) and speed VB0 [m / s]
Time TM measured by the time measuring unit 113,
The vehicle speed VAN [m / s] at the sampling time T = N measured by the vehicle speed sensor 104,
Sampling period TS [s],
Based on the above, the following estimation (1) is performed.

  (XN, YN) = (X (N−1), Y (N−1)) − (0, (VAN − VB0) × TM × TS) (1)

  Therefore, the driving support apparatus according to the present embodiment starts the process of estimating the position of the object outside the detection area within the detection area of the millimeter wave radar.

  Next, when the steering angle of the host vehicle detected based on the output signal of the steering angle sensor 105 exceeds the steering angle threshold, the collision determination unit 115 is outside the detection region estimated by the detection region outside object estimation unit 114. The collision risk is determined according to the distance of the object (determined from the position of the object), and a warning is given to the driver (including passengers) from the speaker 106 for a predetermined time. Here, FIG. 4 shows an example of the collision risk determination table. The collision determination unit 115 compares the distance of the object outside the detection area with the collision risk determination table stored in the storage unit 110, and issues a warning from the speaker 106 based on the table.

As shown in FIG.
If the distance of the object is ≧ 5 m, the collision risk is determined to be 0, no warning is given from the speaker 106,
If 3 m ≦ the distance of the object <5 m, the collision risk is determined to be 1, and a warning sound “beep” (short sound) is output from the speaker 106 to warn the driver.
If 1m ≦ distance of the object <3m, the collision risk is determined to be 2, and a warning sound is given with a beeping sound (continuous sound).
When the distance of the object is less than 1 m, the collision risk is determined to be 3, and a warning is given by a warning sound “Peep” (long sound).
For example, the steering angle threshold is set to 15 ° and stored in the storage unit 110.

  It is also possible to change the steering angle sensor 105 in the block diagram of FIG. 1 to a blinker sensor. In this case, when the output of the winker sensor (not shown) is input from the outside to the millimeter wave radar 103 and the collision determination unit 115 detects lighting or operation of the winker, the detection region estimated by the detection region outside object estimation unit 114 is detected. The collision risk is determined according to the distance of the external object, and a warning is given to the driver from the speaker 106 for a predetermined period. It is also possible to add a blinker sensor to the block diagram of FIG. In this case, for example, when the collision determination unit 115 detects that the turn-on of the blinker and the steering angle are equal to or greater than a predetermined value by the CPU 109 (when one or both of the conditions are satisfied), the detection area The collision risk is determined according to the distance of the object outside the detection area estimated by the external object estimation unit 114, and a warning is given from the speaker 106 to the driver for a predetermined period.

  Next, the operation of the driving support apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the driving support apparatus according to the present embodiment.

  First, in step S101, it is determined whether or not an object is detected by the object detection unit 111. If an object is detected, the process returns to step S102, and if no object is detected, the process returns to START.

  In step S102, the object detection unit 111 calculates the distance, relative speed, and angle of the detected object. The calculated value is stored in the storage area S01 of the storage unit 110.

  Next, in step S103, the object detection unit 111 calculates the position and speed of the detected object based on the distance, relative speed, and angle calculated in step S102 and the vehicle speed of the host vehicle detected by the vehicle speed sensor 104. calculate. The calculated value is stored in the storage area S10 of the storage unit 110.

  In step S104, out-of-detection region object candidate extraction unit 112, among the object data stored in storage region S01 of storage unit 110, the relative speed is relative speed <0 and the angle is angle ≧ angle threshold. Determine if exists. If there is an object that satisfies this conditional expression, the process proceeds to step S105. If there is no object that satisfies the conditional expression, the process proceeds to step S107.

  In step S105, an object that satisfies the determination condition in step S104 is extracted as a detection area outside object candidate by the detection area outside object candidate extraction unit 112.

  In step S <b> 106, the position and speed of the object outside the detection area extracted in step S <b> 105 are stored in the storage area S <b> 11 of the storage unit 110.

  In step S107, the detection area outside object estimation unit 114 determines whether the value of the storage area S12 of the storage unit 110 is not zero. If the value of the storage area S12 is not 0, the process proceeds to step S108. If the value of the storage area S12 is 0, the process proceeds to step S109.

  In step S108, the time measurement unit 113 increments the measurement time, and the process proceeds to step S110.

  In step S110, the detection area outside object estimation unit 114 estimates the position of the detection area outside object based on the above-described equation (1).

  Subsequently, in step S <b> 111, the estimated position of the object outside the detection area is stored in the storage area S <b> 12 of the storage unit 110.

  In step S112, it is determined whether the steering angle of the host vehicle detected by the steering angle sensor 105 is equal to or greater than a steering angle threshold. If the conditional expression (steering angle ≧ steering angle threshold) is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S113. If not satisfied, the process proceeds to S114.

  In step S113, the collision determination unit 115 compares the distance to the host vehicle based on the estimated position of the object outside the detection area and the collision risk determination table shown in FIG.

  On the other hand, in step S114, it is determined whether the time measured by the time measuring unit 113 is equal to or greater than the time threshold. If the condition (time ≧ time threshold) is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S117. If the condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S120.

  In step S115, the collision determination unit 115 determines whether the collision risk is not 0 based on the comparison result in step S113. If the collision risk is not 0, the process proceeds to step S116, and if the collision risk is 0, the process proceeds to step S117.

  In step S116, the collision determination unit 115 determines a warning sound based on the table shown in FIG. 4 and issues a warning to the driver of the host vehicle through the speaker 106.

  Next, in step S117, the time measured by the time measuring unit 113 is reset (TM = 0).

  In step S118, the value of the storage area S12 is reset (S12 = 0).

  In step S109, the detection object outside detection area 114 copies the forward object data S11 calculated in step S106 to S12 (storage area S12 = storage area S11).

  In step S119, the time measurement unit 113 starts time measurement with the time extracted as the detection object outside detection area in step S105 as the initial time (TM = 0).

  Finally, in step S120, the collision determination unit 115 resets the forward object data stored in the storage areas S01 and S11 of the storage unit 110 (S01 = S11 = 0), and returns to the start.

  As described above, in the driving support apparatus 101 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, the object outside the detection region candidate extraction unit 112 selects an object that satisfies the predetermined condition among the objects detected by the object detection unit 111. The detection object outside detection area 114 is extracted as a detection object outside detection area, and the detection area outside object estimation unit 114 is based on the position and speed of the candidate, the time measured by the time measurement unit 113, and the own vehicle speed measured by the vehicle speed sensor 104. , By starting the estimation process of the position of the object outside the detection area within the detection area of the millimeter wave radar, and continuing the estimation process for a predetermined time, determine the risk of collision between the host vehicle and the object outside the detection area, A warning can be given to the driver of the host vehicle.

  Since a single millimeter wave radar warns the driver of a collision between the host vehicle and an object outside the detection area, the configuration of the device is simpler and less expensive than the conventional driving support device. Can do. Further, the processing load of the CPU can be reduced by performing position estimation processing on an object outside the detection area based on information on the object existing in a certain area of the detection area of the millimeter wave radar. Further, the cost can be reduced by reducing the memory (storage unit 110). In addition, when the steering angle is equal to or greater than the steering angle threshold, the collision determination unit 115 determines the risk of collision between the host vehicle and an object outside the detection area, and warns the driver of the host vehicle. Warnings can be given at the necessary timing in consideration of the current situation, such as when changing lanes or turning left and right at intersections.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the driving support apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. The configuration of the driving assistance apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment is obtained by adding a detection area outside object determination unit 601 to the driving assistance apparatus 101 according to the first embodiment.

  The detection area outside object determination unit 601 omits the detection area outside object candidate extracted by the detection area outside object candidate extraction unit 112 at the previous sampling time (the extraction method has already been described in Embodiment 1, and thus the description thereof is omitted. If there is no information (position and speed) of the object detected at the current sampling time that can correspond to the information (position and speed), the object outside the detection area at the previous sampling time is determined as an object outside the detection area.

  Here, FIG. 7 shows a detection area outside object determination method. First, assuming that the object candidate outside the detection area extracted at the previous sampling time T = 0 has a uniform linear motion, the position of the object at the current sampling time T = 1 is determined by the object detection part outside detection area 601. It is estimated as the following equation (2).

  (B’X1, B’Y1) = (BX0, BY0) − (0, (VA1 − VB0) × TS) (2)

here,
The position of the detection object outside object candidate B extracted at the pre-sampling time T = 0 is (BX0 [m], BY0 [m]), the speed is VB0 [m / s],
The position of the object B ′ estimated at the current sampling time T = 1 is (B′X1 [m], B′Y1 [m]),
The vehicle speed detected at the current sampling time T = 1 is VA1 [m / s], and the sampling period is TS [s].

  If the position of the object C detected at the current sampling time T = 1 is (CX1 [m], CY1 [m]) and the speed is VC1 [m / s], the position of the object B ′ and the object C The difference (difference Xdif in the X direction, difference Ydif in the Y direction) and the difference Vdif in speed are as shown in the following equations (3), (4), and (5), respectively.

Xdif = | (B'X1 − CX1) | (3)
Ydif = | (B'Y1 − CY1) | (4)
Vdif = | (VB0 − VC1) | (5)

  If these values do not satisfy the predetermined detection area outside determination threshold, the detection area outside object determination unit 601 determines that the detection area outside object candidate extracted at the previous sampling time T = 0 is T = 1 and the detection area It is determined that the object has fallen outside, that is, an object outside the detection area. The out-of-detection-area determination threshold is set, for example, as less than Xdif = Ydif = 1 [m] and less than Vdif = 1 [m / s], and is stored in the storage unit 110.

  In addition, the time measuring unit 113 performs time measurement for a predetermined time using the time determined as an object outside the detection region by the detection region outside object determination unit 601 as an initial time. As described in the first embodiment, the time measurement unit 113 ends the time measurement after the collision determination unit 115 determines the risk of collision between the host vehicle and the object outside the detection area and gives a warning. . If no warning is given, the time measurement ends when a predetermined time has elapsed.

The detection area outside object estimation unit 114 calculates the position (XN [m], YN [m]) of the detection area outside object at the sampling time T = N (N ≧ 1).
The position (X0 [m], Y0 [m]) of the detection object outside detection area determined by the detection object outside detection area 601 and the velocity VB0 [m / s],
Time TM measured by the time measuring unit 113,
The vehicle speed VAN [m / s] at the sampling time T = N measured by the vehicle speed sensor 104,
Sampling period TS [s],
Based on the above, it is estimated as the following formula (6).

  (XN, YN) = (X (N−1), Y (N−1)) − (0, (VAN − VB0) × (TM + 1) × TS) (6)

  Therefore, the driving assistance apparatus according to the present embodiment starts the process of estimating the position of the object outside the detection area outside the detection area of the millimeter wave radar.

  Further, the storage unit 110 stores at least an area for storing distance, relative speed, and angle, which are data in the polar coordinate system of the object detected by the object detection unit 111, and the vehicle speed of the host vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 104. And an area for storing the position and speed, which are data of the orthogonal coordinate system calculated based on the following.

Polar coordinate system Data storage area S01 of the object detected by the object detection unit 111 at the current sampling time
Cartesian coordinate system Storage area S10 for object data extracted by the detection object candidate outside detection area 112 at the previous sampling time
-Data storage area S11 of the object detected by the object detection unit 111 at the current sampling time
The data storage area S12 estimated by the detection area outside object estimation unit 114

  Since other functional blocks are the same as those in the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

  Subsequently, the operation of the driving support apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the driving support apparatus according to the present embodiment.

  First, in step S201, it is determined whether or not an object is detected by the object detection unit 111. If an object is detected, the process returns to step S202. If no object is detected, the process returns to START.

  In step S202, the object detection unit 111 calculates the distance, relative speed, and angle of the detected object. The calculated value is stored in the storage area S01 of the storage unit 110.

  Next, in step S203, the object detection unit 111 calculates the position and speed of the detected object based on the distance, relative speed, angle calculated in step S202, and the vehicle speed of the host vehicle detected by the vehicle speed sensor 104. calculate. The calculated value is stored in the storage area S11 of the storage unit 110.

  In step S204, the detection area outside object determination unit 601 determines whether or not the object extracted by the detection area outside object candidate extraction unit 112 exists at the previous sampling time. That is, it is determined whether the value of the storage area S10 of the storage unit 110 is not zero. If the value of the storage area S10 is not 0, the process proceeds to step S205. If the value of the storage area S10 is 0, the process proceeds to step S206.

  Next, in step S205, the detection area outside object determination unit 601 estimates the value stored in the storage area S11 from the value stored in the storage area S10 based on the above-described equations (2) to (5). Judge whether or not. If the value of the storage area S11 is estimated from the storage area S10, the process proceeds to step S206. If not, the process proceeds to step S207.

  In step S207, the detection area outside object determination unit 601 determines that a detection area outside object candidate that satisfies the condition in step S205 is a detection area outside object.

  Subsequently, in step S208, time measurement is started by the time measurement unit 113 with the time determined as an object outside the detection area as the initial time (TM = 0).

  In step S209, the detection area outside object estimation unit 114 estimates the position of the detection area outside object based on the above equation (6).

  Subsequently, in step S <b> 210, the estimated position of the object outside the detection area is stored in the storage area S <b> 12 of the storage unit 110.

  In step S211, it is determined whether or not the steering angle of the host vehicle detected by the steering angle sensor 105 is equal to or greater than a steering angle threshold. If the conditional expression (steering angle ≧ steering angle threshold) is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S212. If not satisfied, the process proceeds to S213. Since the steering angle threshold is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

  In step S212, the collision determination unit 115 compares the distance from the host vehicle based on the estimated position of the object outside the detection area with the collision risk determination table shown in FIG.

  On the other hand, in step S213, it is determined whether the time measured by the time measuring unit 113 is equal to or greater than the time threshold. If the condition (time ≧ time threshold) is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S216. If the condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S222. Since the time threshold is the same as that in the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

  In step S214, the collision determination unit 115 determines whether the collision risk is not 0 based on the comparison result in step S212. If the collision risk is not 0, the process proceeds to step S215. If the collision risk is 0, the process proceeds to step S216.

  In step S215, the collision determination unit 115 determines a warning sound based on the table shown in FIG. 4 and issues a warning to the driver of the host vehicle through the speaker 106.

  Next, in step S216, the time measured by the time measuring unit 113 is reset (TM = 0).

  In step S217, the value in the storage area S12 is reset (S12 = 0).

  On the other hand, in step S206, out-of-detection object candidate extraction unit 112, among the object data stored in storage region S01 of storage unit 110, the relative speed is <0 and the angle is angle ≧ angle threshold. It is determined whether or not an object exists. If there is an object that satisfies this conditional expression, the process proceeds to step S218. If there is no object that satisfies the conditional expression, the process proceeds to step S220.

  In step S218, an object that satisfies the determination condition in step S206 is extracted as a detection area outside object candidate by the detection area outside object candidate extraction unit 112.

  In step S219, the position and speed of the object outside the detection area extracted in step S218 are stored in the storage area S10 of the storage unit 110.

  In step S220, the detection area outside object estimation unit 114 determines whether the value of the storage area S12 is not zero. If the value of the storage area S12 is not 0, the process proceeds to step S221. If the value of the storage area S12 is 0, the process proceeds to step S222.

  In step S221, the time measurement unit 113 increments the measurement time, and the process proceeds to step S209.

  Finally, in step S222, the collision determination unit 115 resets the forward object data stored in the storage areas S01 and S11 of the storage unit 110 (S01 = S11 = 0), and returns to the start.

  As described above, in the driving assistance apparatus 101 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention, the detection area outside object determination unit 601 detects the detection area outside object candidate extracted by the detection area outside object candidate extraction unit 112 at the previous sampling time. If there is no information (position and speed) of the object detected at the current sampling time that can correspond to the information (position and speed), the candidate outside the detection area at the previous sampling time is determined to be an object outside the detection area and out of the detection area. Based on the position and speed of the object, the time measured by the time measurement unit 113, and the own vehicle speed measured by the vehicle speed sensor 104, the object estimation unit 114 is outside the detection region outside the detection region of the millimeter wave radar. By starting the object position estimation process and continuing the estimation process for a predetermined time, the risk of collision between the vehicle and the object outside the detection area is determined, and the driver of the vehicle is warned. You can make a notification.

  Since a single millimeter wave radar warns the driver of a collision between the host vehicle and an object outside the detection area, the configuration of the device is simpler and less expensive than the conventional driving support device. Can do. In addition, since the position estimation process is performed on an object that is estimated to be out of the detection area from the detection area of the millimeter wave radar, the position of the object outside the detection area can be accurately estimated. And since the estimation process of the position of the object outside the detection area is started outside the detection area of the millimeter wave radar, it is possible to reduce the target and time for the estimation process and reduce the processing load on the CPU. Further, the cost can be reduced by reducing the memory (storage unit 110). In addition, when the steering angle is equal to or greater than the steering angle threshold, the collision determination unit determines the risk of collision between the host vehicle and an object outside the detection area, and warns the driver of the host vehicle. Warnings can be given at the necessary timing in consideration of the current situation, such as when changing lanes or turning left and right at intersections.

In each of the above embodiments, the transmission / reception unit 107, the conversion unit 108, and the object detection unit 111 constitute an object detection unit,
The vehicle state detection means is composed of a vehicle speed sensor 104, a steering angle sensor 105, and a signal indicating the turn-on or operation of the blinker from the outside,
The collision determination unit 115 constitutes a collision determination means,
The speaker 106 constitutes a warning means,
The detection area outside object estimation unit 114 constitutes a detection area outside object estimation means,
The detection area outside object candidate extraction unit 112 constitutes a detection area outside object candidate extraction means,
The storage unit 110 constitutes a detection area outside object candidate storage means and a detection area outside object storage means,
The time measuring unit 113 constitutes a time measuring means,
The detection area outside object determination unit 601 constitutes a detection area outside object determination means.

  Further, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and it is needless to say that all possible combinations of these embodiments are included.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Driver assistance apparatus, 102 Front object, 103 Millimeter wave radar, 104 Vehicle speed sensor, 105 Steering angle sensor, 106 Speaker, 107 Transmission / reception part, 108 Conversion part, 109 CPU, 110 Storage part, 111 Object detection part, 112 Out of detection area Object candidate extraction unit, 113 time measurement unit, 114 detection area outside object estimation unit, 115 collision determination unit, 601 detection area outside object determination unit.

Claims (3)

Object detection means for detecting an object in front of the host vehicle;
Vehicle state detection means for detecting at least the vehicle speed of the host vehicle;
A collision determination means for determining a risk of collision of the host vehicle with an object;
Warning means for giving a warning based on the determination result of the collision determination means;
In a driving support device comprising:
Based on the position and speed of the object when existing in the detection area of the object detection means, the position of the object outside the detection area existing outside the detection area of the object detection means is continuously estimated for a predetermined period. A detection area outside object estimation means,
The collision determination means determines a risk of collision of the own vehicle with an object outside the detection area estimated by the detection area outside object estimation means, and the warning means may cause the own vehicle to collide with the object outside the detection area. Warning that there is, and
Out-of-detection area object candidate extraction for extracting an object whose relative speed is (−own vehicle speed) <relative speed <0 and the horizontal angle is equal to or greater than a predetermined value from the objects detected by the object detection means With means,
The detection region outside the object estimating means based on the position and velocity of the detection area outside the object candidate continues to estimate the position of the detection area outside the object, further,
An out-of-detection area object candidate storage means for storing the position and speed of the object for a predetermined period when it is determined to be an out-of-detection area object candidate and extracted by the out-of-detection area object candidate extraction means;
Time measurement means for measuring the time for a predetermined time, with the time extracted as the detection area outside object candidate by the detection area outside object candidate extraction means as an initial time;
With
The detection area outside object estimation means is stored in the detection area outside object candidate storage means, the position and speed when the detection area outside object candidate is extracted, and the corresponding extracted by the time measurement means. Based on the time from the initial time, continue to estimate the position of the object outside the detection region as a candidate outside the detection region linearly moves at a constant speed,
A driving support device characterized by that. The collision determination means may detect that the detection object outside the detection area estimated by the detection area outside object estimation means collides with the host vehicle when the vehicle state detection means detects a signal indicating turn-on or operation of an external blinker. The driving support device according to claim 1 , wherein the degree is determined. When the vehicle state detection unit detects that the steering angle is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the collision determination unit determines a risk of collision of an object outside the detection area estimated by the detection area outside object estimation unit with the host vehicle. The driving support apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein:

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